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Summary: a cynic's dream
Review: as an all around "artsy" type and cynic, this witty little number fits my humour perfectly: wonderfully dry yet colourful.
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Summary: it ain't Webster's
Review: Beginning in 1881 and continuing to 1906, Ambrose Bierce created a series of sardonic word definitions of his own. Many of these were collected and published as The Cynic's Word Book, which he later protested was "a name which the author had not the power to reject or happiness to approve." So in 1911, he pulled together a collection that was more to his own liking and called it The Devil's Dictionary. The entries are a tad uneven in quality, but most are amusing and some are great. Each reader will have his own favorites, some of mine are as follows : ACQUAINTANCE, n. A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to. A degree of friendship called slight when its object is poor or obscure, and intimate when he is rich or famous. ALLIANCE, n. In international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third. BIGOT, n. One who is obstinately and zealously attached to an opinion that you do not entertain. BORE, n. A person who talks when you wish him to listen. CONSULT, v.i. To seek another's disapproval of a course already decided on. CYNIC, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic's eyes to improve his vision. DICTIONARY, n. A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work. DISCRIMINATE, v.i. To note the particulars in which one person or thing is, if possible, more objectionable than another. EDUCATION, n. That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding. FUTURE, n. That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness is assured. HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.... A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling... He has the last word in everything; his decision is unappealable. He sets the fashions and opinion of taste, dictates the limitations of speech and circumscribes conduct with a dead-line. POLITICS, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage. And, my choice for the very best among them : CONSERVATIVE, n. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others. By all means, read it and pick out your own; you're sure to find a few that tickle your fancy. GRADE : A
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Summary: American Cynicism at its Best
Review: Bierce brings us a collection of definitions that highlight the more interesting institutions of our society - religion, government, marriage, death ... all with a twist that will make you laugh, make you think ... or make you mad. The interesting thing is that, although written a hundred years ago, most definitions can still ring true today. Excellent quoting material and fun for a leaf through now and again, this book is a bargain for all its interior wealth.
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Summary: A must-have for cynics
Review: Bierce writes new defïnitions to words, in a way that is very funny and thought-provoking. By reading his definitions, you get a totally new perspective. I think his definitions can be summed up by the quote "Human beings always have two motives for everything they do. One good motive, and the real motive." This is a book to actually read from cover to cover, although it is arranged in alphabetical order. I could not stop either reading or laughing. I also recommend to mark your favourites as you go through the book, as you will want to read them to friends or use in e-mail.
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Summary: Pure cynicism distilled into book form
Review: Bierce's misanthropy and glorious cynicism remain a breath of fresh air, never having lost their ring of truth for the better part of a century. His aversion for hypocrisy, formal education (He was of humble origins and self-educated), and religious self-righteousness are appropriately barbed. His disillusionment with concepts such as patriotism ("The first refuge of a scoundrel"), are particularly interesting, considering his rural midwestern upbringing and heroic service in the Civil War. The most consistent and I think interesting theme throughout this volume is his disdain for the institution of marriage. Long before marriage was seen by many as a burden and divorce became unstigmatized and commonplace, Bierce's definition seems prophetic for his time: "An institution consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all two."
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Summary: The 19th century equivalent of the Onion
Review: Caustic, but hilarious. I wouldn't recommend it to sensitive types, but I for one very much enjoyed it. Particularly the definition for Christian: "One who believes the New Testament is a divinely inspired book admirably suitd to the spiritual needs of his neighbor. One who follows the teachings of Christ in so far as they are not inconsistent with a life of sin." (I am an atheist; I think Ambrose was too.) Oh yeah: this book makes EXCELLENT bathroom reading.
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Summary: Let the author speak for himself:
Review: CRITIC, n.
A person who boasts himself hard to please because nobody tries to please him. There is a land of pure delight,
Beyond the Jordan's flood,
Where saints, apparelled all in white,
Fling back the critic's mud.
And as he legs it through the skies,
His pelt a sable hue,
He sorrows sore to recognize
The missiles that he threw.
-- Orrin Goof
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Summary: Not a knee slapper, but very entertaining.
Review: Definitions and terms are from the late 1800's. It will look odd to the contemporary reader, but is worth the effort. I have a copy of the 1940 edition and have not seen the newer editions. Beirce's short stories are highly recommended by me and are more entertaining.
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Summary: Devils Dictionary Defined
Review: Devils Dictionary, n. A cynical dictionary written by Ambrose Beirce which originaly appeared in serial forn from 1881 to 1906.The idea is a novel one- defining things as they really are with a sarcastic, tell it as it is exhubarance. Much of this book is dated although it was telling as an expose of all that was wrong with American culture in that time period. It kind of reminds me of what The Onion ............... is to us in our current time. I expected more and I thought that it would be funnier than it actually was. I only found myself laughing a three or four times. I don't think it's worth the money but I do suggest borrowing it from a friend or checking it out from the public library.
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Summary: Savage sarcasm from the mind of a brilliant madman......
Review: Disregarding all euphemism and sense of decency, Ambrose Bierce manages to achieve in this thin volume a complete overhaul of the English language. While a few definitions miss the mark here and there, this collection is, on the whole, full of wit, insight, and vintage macabre humor. Some of the best -- "FRIENDLESS: having no favors to bestow, destitute of fortune, addicted to utterance of truth and common sense"; "BIRTH: the first and direst of all disasters"; "FAITH: belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." Unlike other authors more concerned with propriety and cultivating good taste, Bierce understands the corrupt comedy of human existence and would prefer to laugh as the world burns. It is easy to see why H.L. Mencken loved him so.
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